Alfred of Marlbrough, Baron of Ewyas of Ewyas Harold Castle, Herefordshire, was a powerful Saxon who sided with the Normans and kept his lands after the Norman conquest.However Alfred of Marlbrough was the nephew and heir of a powerful saxon noble named Osborn de Pentecost.The family records begin with Osbern de Pentecost of Ewyas Castle who built the first stone castle in England on this site at Eywas which became the caput or head of the barony of Eywas. In 1052 Osborn sided with King Edward the Confesser supporting King Edward?s Norman party at court, this was against the Godwinson?s family who were the Earls of Hereford and one later scion as Harold I, King of England.Osbern was forced to flee England when the King finally lost power to the Godwinson family as the King could no longer protect him. Edward?s Queen the Lady Edith was a sister of Harold I. Given safe passage Osbern fled to Scotland and joined the Scottish King Macbeth with other English norman nobles, and was later to die at the hand of King Duncan at the battle of Dunsanaine which over threw Macbeth.Alfred and Osborn followed the Normanising policy of Edward the Confesser in the Herefordshire Marches. William the Conqueror rewarded Alfred by making him a powerful Tenant-in-Chief and feudal Baron of Eywas with vast land holding in Herefordshire, Wiltshire and other counties. This included the Feudal Honour or Barony of Ewyas with many manors, lands and estates subject and held directly to the King only. Many of Alfred?s Manors were held by others as Lords of the Manor, but were subject to the Barony of Eywas and are recorded in the Domesday Book.Agnes his daughter held a number of Manors for her father and when her husband Turstin de Lingen rebelled in 1086 with Ralph, Earl of Hereford, Turstin forfeited most of his estates such as Wigmore Castle which was passed to the Mortimers. Agnes was able to keep her own lands in her own right. Turstin?s brother Richard became the Count Andria in Norman controlled southern Italy.---aka Alured de Merleberge.